Unseen Forces
by Cadet Val
Summary: The Endless control events in all worlds--even the one inside your computer... (Sandman/ReBoot crossover)


_The Net is a maze. Each networked system is a node, connected to other nodes by pathways which branch and merge and turn in unexpected directions. A labyrinth._   
_And at the centre of the labyrinth is the garden._   
_The sprite in the gray robe walks slowly between the hedges. His unseeing eyes never stray from the text of the ReadMe file he holds. Attached to the file is a thin cord of energy, which vanishes up the sleeve of the blind sprite's robe._   
_He reads on._   
_After a time, he reaches an annotation._   
_The sprite in the gray robe pauses, frowns, and scrolls upwards…___

_ Blip… blip…_   
Professor Matrix smiled as the gateway generator flashed and a rippling wave of purple spread out to fill the ring. "System detected," he announced to the crowded auditorium. He tapped at the control panel in front of him. "Executing gateway command…"   
The gateway began to spin. Its faint glow grew brighter as the energy built. A strange shape was barely visible within the brightness. That wasn't supposed to happen…   
"Dah… oh… aaah…" gasped the professor as sparks began to fly, golden ones from the gateway, purple from the control panel, burning him where they struck his hands and face. This was wrong, it was all going wrong… He stared frantically from the panel to the shape in the portal. As he watched, aghast, the figure became horribly clear.   
"I am become Gigabyte!" it announced to the trembling audience. "Destroyer of systems!" Then, as the gateway spun around it, faster and faster, it grew indistinct again. Its outline changed and became asymmetrical. The gateway flashed and blazed brighter than a tear, bright enough to be seen (Welman was sure) clear across the city. Then it exploded. 

_The pretty white sprite in the black tank top wanders through the wreckage, exchanging pleasantries with those she passes. She bends down to tickle a light green null, pushes back her unruly mane of black hair, and addresses the light green man in the lab coat. He asks her a question. She smiles at him, and replies: Wait.___

Here, at the centre, it was relatively clear of rubble. The viruses that were Gigabyte gazed at the ruins. Each turned slightly to its right and looked at the other. Then Megabyte pivoted and walked away in silence.   
Hexadecimal stayed put, assessing her new territory. "I _like_ it here!" she informed the system in general. 

_The adolescent sprite tilts her head to one side as she looks at the funny red virus without a face. Then she tilts her head to the other side. As she moves, her skin changes from copper to periwinkle, and her vividly pink hair begins to lengthen. She comes to a conclusion and laughs; she appears to be 10, perhaps 11, but she giggles like she has just turned 01._   
_As the virus speaks her first words, the girl reaches out and plucks the mask with the surprised expression off the place where her face should be, replacing it immediately with one showing a crafty smile. Now her hair is spring green and curly, and her skin is buttercup yellow. She giggles again. She has found a friend.___

A small magenta car pulled up and landed. The siblings hopped out. In the chaos, they went unnoticed. They looked around in desperation. "Where's Dad, Sis?" asked Enzo in a frightened voice. "Where is he?"   
Dot's voice was far more controlled, but still managed to betray some of her own fear as she admitted, "I… I don't know." She took her brother's hand; he moved to embrace her, burying his face in her stomach. "Dad!" he sobbed. She bowed her head and held him tightly. _Dad,_ she thought, _where are you?_ and knew it was the wrong question. 

_The old sprite approaches the children. She walks silently; surprisingly so, for she is obese, as round as a zero binome. Her skin is dusty white, and her black hair has the texture of wet straw and appears to have one or more living creatures nesting in it. She wears nothing but a ring and an icon. The ring is iron, with a barbed hook curving out from it. The icon is solid silver: a tiny mirror, pinned to her left breast._   
_Reaching the mourning pair, she extends her hand. With two swift movements, she stabs them with her ring, sinking the barb deep into each sprite's heart.___

A strange sound nearby caused Dot to look up. Her eyes widened. A bubble was growing in the air. There were reflections in its surface, but they were not of Mainframe. Instead, she saw a strange landscape of flattened gray hemispheres topped with greenish, crystalline spires. The bubble grew until it touched the ground, and a boy stepped out.   
Bob stared at the wreckage, wanting—no, _needing_—to help, not knowing where to start. He spotted the tears that blazed all around. This, at least, he knew how to handle. "Glitch—mend!" he commanded his new keytool. He aimed and fired a burst of golden light at the first tear; the light enveloped the tear and faded, taking the tear with it. He turned; another burst, another tear gone. He turned again and saw the girl. 

_The beautiful sprite stands between the blue boy and the green girl. He (or is it she?) looks from one staring youth to the other and smiles, as at some private joke. The green girl approaches the blue boy; as she arrives, the beautiful one leans over and kisses each of them on the cheek.___

Bob stared at the girl walking toward him. She was staring back, her face full of fear and confusion. Well, Glitch had said this was an isolated system—or, at least, it had been until now. No wonder she was confused. Some sort of explanation was clearly in order.   
"I'm a cade—I mean," he corrected himself, suddenly desperate to impress her, "I'm a Guardian. I come from the Net."   
"The Net?" she asked blankly.   
"Yes, from another system. A supercomputer," he added proudly. Remembering why he was here, he tore his eyes away from her and took in the devastation around them once more. "I'm so terribly sorry!"   
Dot continued to stare at the strange boy, her fear mutating into anger and, unexpectedly, a sort of hope. "_You_ caused this?"   
"No!" exclaimed Bob, realising his error.   
Dot charged at him and beat her fists feebly on his chest. "You did!" She was determined to remain angry—it was _him_, he did this, this stranger and not her father… "This is your fault!" she insisted, beginning to cry. Then, losing the battle against herself, she leaned her face against his chest and sobbed.   
"No," Bob protested. This was wrong, it was all going wrong… "I-I came to help. Please, I-I just… wanna help…" he trailed off pathetically.   
"Bob?" broke in a new voice. "Are you okay?" 

_The wild-haired white sprite blows the last grains of sand towards the blue Guardian, tiny flecks of silicon glittering in the air between them. He slips the pouch into the folds of his robe and retires to a far corner of the room. Watching with eyes that are not eyes, he waits to learn the rest of the story._


End file.
